


Moonlight Sonata

by Anonymous



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Bad Matchmaking, Coming Out, Denial of Feelings, Dense Boruto, Dialogue Heavy, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Flying, M/M, Matchmaking, Misunderstandings, Observant Mitsuki, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Self-Indulgent, Sneaking Around, Sneaking Out, Wingfic, boruto pines big time, irregular updates, mitsuki also gives boruto mini heart attacks, saracho vs sarasumi, sumire and chocho like sarada but sarada is dense, they have wings and yeah thats about it i just wanted to write them having wings, they're 16 here ok
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2020-05-12 20:59:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19236988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: His wings were just his dad's legacy, a symbol that marked Boruto with expectations that chained him down from peers and strangers alike. With steady hands, Mitsuki taught him how to fly again. With a warm smile, his heart soared.





	1. Chapter 1

When he flew, he soared. But, no matter how far he went, he never felt free.

With golden wings he stood out from the crowd, because solid, unblemished coloration was rare. Boruto knew this attributed from his parent’s genes, as his mother was Hyuuga and the Hyuuga were known for the solid off-white and purple hue coloration of their wings, and his father was known for his yellow, brown, and orange wings. 

Yet, for tools meant for flight, they felt heavy.

His parents were great, he knew this, just as many of his friends parents were, but his father was especially great. Jinchuriki of the nine tailed beast, Kurama, Hokage, and just overall highly respected legend that would go down in shinobi history, even his scruffy warm colored wings became a symbol of strength, protection, and hope.

Boruto’s wings weren’t just special, they were special because of his  _ dad _ .

And just like that, his golden wings lost their shine. How could they, when they were always in the shadow of something bigger and brighter?

“Boruto.”

Boruto blearily opened his eyes, only to be welcomed by darkness. He blinked a couple of times as his eyes adjusted to the darkness.

“...Mitsuki?” Boruto asked.

“Yes.” came the response. Boruto sighed.

“What are you doing here?” asked Boruto.

“I wanted to see you.” Mitsuki replied.

Boruto sighed again. Up until he met Mitsuki in the Academy, no one apart from his family saw past the rare coloration of his wings. When Mitsuki didn’t give so much as a second glance at his wings but instead stared straight into Boruto’s eyes, Boruto felt like he himself was being acknowledged for the first time, and the weight on his back didn’t exist. Of course, he quickly became aware of Mitsuki’s own brand of weirdness, but the feeling didn’t diminish. Instead, it became a catalyst for his feelings to grow.

Still, despite that, no matter how well he got used to and got to know Mitsuki, he couldn’t understand all the things that went through his mind. Sometimes it was relieving, because he knew even then it had nothing to do with his dads reputation or expectations because he was Naruto’s son, but then it also led to moments like this, and he had long learned that reacting led to nowhere and he just had to go with the flow until Mitsuki explained or whatever message he was trying to convey could be understood. That or Mitsuki was going through some self-discovery journey and Boruto was just along for the ride and well, Boruto did that too sometimes so that was only fair.

Despite knowing all that, Boruto couldn’t help the skipping beat in his heart at those words.

“I-is that so?” Boruto cleared his throat then turned his head to the side with a warm face.

He reached over to turn on his bedside lamp only to find their faces were extremely close, and felt his face warm even more.

“Jeez Mitsuki!” Boruto sputtered. “You scared me.”

Mitsuki blinked, then tilted his head. Boruto felt his heart flutter at the sight. There was no doubt in his mind that Mitsuki picked that up from his(?) pet cat and honestly Boruto found that incredibly endearing. For a strange guy, Mitsuki was too cute for his own good.

“Your face is red. Are you sick?”

“I’m not sick I’m just warm. I was just tucked in bed until you woke me up.” Boruto said.

“Oh, sorry.” said Mitsuki, without a hint of remorse in his voice. Boruto sighed.

“W-whatever. You wanted to see me? And this couldn’t wait till morning?” Boruto asked.

“You told me to tell you whenever I wanted to leave the village.” said Mitsuki. “So, here I am, telling you.”

Boruto felt all tiredness just sap away from his body only to be filled with a cold dread instead, leaving him wide awake away from his elated and fuzzy warm surprise feeling wake up call. He grabbed at Mitsuki’s sleeves with a sudden desperation and stared at Mitsuki intently.

“L-l-leave!?” Boruto exclaimed. “What do you  _ mean _ leave!?”

“I want to fly outside.” replied Mitsuki, and slowly Boruto could feel the shock begin to ebb away from his body.

He wanted to fly, outside. That’s what it was.

“Just fly?” asked Boruto.

“Yes.” said Mitsuki.

Then Boruto let out a sigh of relief and slumped, but still grasped Mitsuki’s sleeves with slightly shaky hands. Of course it was for some simple reason. 4 years they’ve known each other, but Mitsuki’s poor wording could still shake him up. At 16, Boruto sure didn’t feel like he was a teen sometimes, to the point he sometimes had to check if he actually had grey hair coming in or not. Not even Himawari could push him that far. Mitsuki sure was a special case in more ways than one.

“Give me a few minutes and I’ll go with you.” said Boruto.

“You’re coming? Why?” Mitsuki asked.

Boruto grinned.

“Suddenly, I feel like flying too.”

For what it was worth, Boruto had never flown at night before, at least he didn’t sneak out of the village at night just to fly. He had snuck out of his house before, some flapping here and there, but nothing like pure flying. It was like running; he never really went out to fly just to fly unless it was a short burst to make something more convenience or give him a boost. Now that he was out, looking for a decent clearing so they could take off… Well, he didn’t know how to describe it, but what he did know was that it felt different from how it felt during the day.

“Why did you feel like flying out here all of a sudden Mitsuki?” asked Boruto as they continued their midnight trek away from the village.

“I haven’t gone in a while, so I thought I would tonight.” answered Mitsuki.

“In a while… You’ve done this before?” asked Boruto.

“Yes. Since before I met you, Boruto, I would fly at night. It’s nice.” Mitsuki hummed.

And like that, they reached a clearing.

It was dark out, though that was to be expected. What Boruto hadn’t expected was the tranquility, from the soft cricket sounds to the soft breeze that bent the grass ever so slightly, and the moonlight that gently grazed the top of everything that could be seen, unlike the sunlight of the day that just harshly illuminated it all. In it’s own way it felt almost magical, and vastly different from all the other times he had been out at night, pressed by the urgency of some mission, because a mission would be the only reason why he would be outside the comfort of his own home at night. When all was at peace and no emergency to take care of, a whole other mood seemed to set, or maybe it was always there, only to be ignored and trampled on by people like Boruto but somehow treasured by people like Mitsuki…

Boruto turned to look at Mitsuki, but as soon as he turned his head he was met with a flurry of feathers. With one powerful flap, Mitsuki launched himself into the sky. He rose so elegantly, with a grace Boruto didn’t think he could ever mimic, then maneuvered himself so he could face down at Boruto, the moon directly behind him, reached a hand out, and smiled.

“Aren’t you coming?” asked Mitsuki.

It was like time had frozen, and with it enraptured Boruto. In that moment, under that bright full moon, Mitsuki looked like something out of that world. Like Boruto, Mitsuki also had solid colored wings, but they were a very faint blue, almost white, but under the moonlight they seemed to glow, and combined with his warm smile… He looked like an angel.

Boruto knew the Hyuuga, with their light wings, were often compared to angels in that aspect, especially with Himawari and her pure white wings, unblemished, and her pure and cute smile, but seeing Mitsuki like this took it to another level. With golden eyes that always seemed to glow in the dark crinkled into an innocent and happy smile, inviting Boruto, he felt like the sinful one.

And so, like the sinner he felt he was, he reached out for that outstretched hand and launched himself into the air. 

Mitsuki’s smile widened, and the two of them began to fly about and around each other, climbing higher in the sky. For the first time, under the dark night sky, his wings felt so light as he chased after that glowing figure. There were no watchful eyes, expectations, or rules. It was just the two of them, best friends, enjoying the moment with everything else forgotten.

“Hey Mitsuki! Let’s race!” Boruto eventually called, a grin on his face.

Mitsuki smiled in response.


	2. Chapter 2

Because he hadn’t used them so much in such a long time, his wings were sore. Luckily, because he hadn’t used them so much in a long time, there weren’t any expectations he would have to use them today, so he could just let them rest and hang out like normal.

Unfortunately, the universe decided that his wings would just be super sensitive and make him wince in pain every and any time he brushed his wings up against something.

Which was. Great.

“Are you okay Boruto?” asked Mitsuki.

“Yeah, I’m fine. You?” asked Boruto.

“I’m used to it.” said Mitsuki, and Boruto internally groaned.

He was letting his wings get rusty. Great. So much for being the son of the great Naruto Uzumaki.

He snorted at the thought.

“We should do that again, sometime.” Boruto found himself saying. Mitsuki smiled.

“That sounds like a plan.” he said. “Oh, is that Sarada?”

Boruto glanced ahead and sure enough there was their dark haired teammate in front of a fountain dressed in clothing Boruto had never seen her wear before. He didn’t even know she owned clothing like that- he just thought that her entire closet was just full of her kunoichi clothing, but apparently not.

“Huh, it is.” Boruto said, then took a deep breath. “OI SARADA!” 

Sarada turned sharply up from the ground to their direction and Boruto waved as they got closer.

“Boruto? Mitsuki?” she questioned.

“The ones and only. What are you doing dressed so fancy? Got a date? Hahaha- wait, for real?” Boruto played, but slowed down as he watched her expression morph into something he had never seen before.

“What’s it to you?” huffed Sarada. “What are you two doing here?”

“We’re going to the new burger joint.” said Mitsuki simply, and Sarada ‘ah’ed in understanding.

“Don’t try to change the subject.” said Boruto. “You? On a date? Since when? I thought you had your sights set on becoming Hokage? I didn’t even think you were interested in people like that.”

Sarada grimaced at Boruto.

“Don’t compare me to yourself Boruto, and I’m still going to become Hokage, but that doesn’t mean I can’t see people in the meanwhile.”

“Who are you with? Is it someone we know?” asked Mitsuki.

Sarada shook her head.

“No, he’s not even a shinobi, but we met at a goukon, so we decided to give it a shot.” Sarada sighed. “He’s also easy on the eyes so…”

Sarada blushed. Mitsuki blinked. Boruto gagged.

“Gr~oss.” said Boruto. “It’s weird seeing you like this.”

“Oh grow up Boruto. Not all of us can stay 12 like you. Besides, I’m a girl so it’s only natural I’d feel like this at some point- there’s nothing weird about it.” retorted Sarada.

“Mmhmm.” Boruto nodded along, not at all convinced.

“Anyway. It was nice seeing you Mitsuki, but the two of you should go since he should be here any minute, and I don’t want any misunderstandings.” Sarada sighed. “Shoo shoo.” 

She waved her hands to motion Boruto and Mitsuki away.

“Geez, really feeling the love.” said Boruto.

“Just. Go.” demanded Sarada.

“Going going. Sheesh.” said Boruto.

“See you, Sarada.” said Mitsuki.

“Later.” she replied, and the two boys left.

“Never thought I’d see the day.” Boruto sighed.

“What do you mean?” asked Mitsuki.

“Sarada on a date? It’s so weird. Because we grew up together she’s like my annoying sister, but of course she can’t be my sister because she’s too annoying for that. Himawari is the only one for me.” Boruto puffed out his chest.

Mitsuki blinked, then laughed.

“You really care about her, huh. It’s weird though.”

“I- wh- you-! What do you mean weird?” Boruto sputtered.

“I thought she’d be with Cho-cho or Sumire.” Mitsuki said, thoughtfully.

“Why would she be with them?” asked Boruto.

“...I thought… Well, we’ll see how it goes.” Mitsuki said after a moment.

“Yes yes, we’ll see- wait, Mitsuki.” said Boruto, choosing his words slowly. “Do you… like Sarada?”

He felt his heart twinge uncomfortably at the thought. The words tasted gritty.

“Of course I do, she’s my friend.” replied Mitsuki. Boruto sighed, he felt his heart freeze at the beginning, but that wasn’t what he asked.

“No, Mitsuki, I meant, do you  _ like like _ Sarada?” insisted Boruto.

“...Are you asking if I view her romantically?” asked Mitsuki.

Boruto felt his face warm. Of course there was a better way to phrase that.

“Yes!” exclaimed Boruto.

“I don’t think so.” replied Mitsuki. “She’s nice, but I feel the same about her as I do for everyone else. You’re the only one who’s different.”

Boruto felt his heart skip a beat, but he wasn’t entirely sure why.

“W-what do you mean by that?” asked Boruto.

Mitsuki stayed silent for a moment, and Boruto paid close attention, his own breath hitching whenever Mitsuki so much as took a breath.

They’d known each other for years now, so it went without saying that they knew each other really well. That being said, Mitsuki still remained an enigma in many ways despite just watching Boruto and supporting him when he needed it. In fact, he never really explained why he always stuck close to the blond, usually finding vague answers as sufficient explanations if anyone asked, despite it confusing everyone else involved even more.

This seemed to be another one of those moments.

“You’re my sun.” answered Mitsuki, and Boruto sighed. His sun. That answer again.

“What does that even  _ mean _ ?” Boruto groaned. Mitsuki chuckled beside him.

“PSST. BORUTO. MITSUKI.” a loud whisper came from beside them.

Boruto jumped, knocking into Mitsuki, who steadied him on reflex. Boruto winced as his wings brushed against Mitsuki’s, but he didn’t move them from their new position. The both of them turned to the side to see Cho-cho and Sumire crouched against a fence. Their hair had grown longer from when they were children and it was now grazing the ground because of their lowered positions, and Boruto idly wondered if they noticed or cared at all.

“Cho-cho? Sumire? What the hell?” said Boruto. “What are you guys even doing?”

Cho-cho brushed her hair back from over her shoulder and gave a haughty ‘harrumph’ with a sassy turn of her head despite her posture, as if she weren’t acting weird at all. Sumire nervously laughed and scratched her cheek, clearly embarrassed but also not moving from where she was. Their wings were sprawled behind them, and in an uncomfortable position while they were at it, but the two of them didn’t seem to care so much.

“Well, we were just…” Sumire trailed off, looking off into the distance.

“What did Sarada say to you?” Cho-cho demanded, effectively cutting off Sumire from saying anything more.

Mitsuki opened his mouth, no doubt to answer on reflex as well, but Boruto quickly cut in.

“Why do you want to know? Just what exactly are you guys doing? Are you… spying on her?” Boruto asked.

“I mean…” Sumire glanced away.

“HAH!? Why would  _ I _ need to spy on my best friend? If there’s something I want to know I can just ask her.” boasted Cho-cho.

“Uh-huh.” said Boruto. “Alright, since you’re so close, then why don’t you ask her yourself?”

“Because she’s obviously busy.” Cho-cho said.

The four of them glanced at the small figure of Sarada in the distance. She had taken out her phone at that point and had sat down, either intently texting or playing a game. From her aggravated movements after a few seconds, it seemed like it was the latter.

“...Sure, let’s say that.” said Boruto. “Fine, I won’t press, but you should make up soon. She’s just waiting for her date, but you probably already knew that.”

Cho-cho’s and Sumire’s expressions paled and Boruto sighed. Mitsuki looked on inquisitively.

“Y-yeah, definitely.” declared Cho-cho. “We just wanted to know if she said anything else. We don’t want to bother her date. Everything must be perfect- that’s why we’re here!”

Boruto wasn’t convinced, and he was sure his face showed it.

“Right. Well, she didn’t say anything else, so good luck I guess?” said Boruto.

“We don’t  _ need _ luck- oh shit she’s moving let’s go Sumire!” Cho-cho turned her head so fast Boruto wondered how she didn’t get whiplash.

The two of them got up and quickly moved. Sumire paused and turned, giving a sheepish smile and a small bow before catching up with Cho-cho.

“Sorry and thanks! See you later, Mitsuki, Boruto!” said Sumire.

Then the two boys were left alone, and Boruto turned to Mitsuki.

“Is this what you meant when you brought them up earlier?” asked Boruto.

Mitsuki turned to him.

“I guess it is?” said Mitsuki.

“Why is that a question?” asked Boruto.

“I’m not sure.” answered Mitsuki. Boruto sighed. He wasn’t that interested in whatever was going on with Sarada, Cho-cho, and Sumire if it wasn’t anything serious or bad.

“Whatever. Let’s go, I’m starving. I hear they have even spicier burgers than our usual joint.” said Boruto.

“You sure love spicy food don’t you.” Mitsuki chuckled. Boruto preened.

“Of course! Spicy food is delicious! And it’s severely underappreciated, so that’s where I come in!” declared Boruto. 

“It’s funny, because the spiciness was originally meant as a defense mechanism to help certain plants protect themselves from organisms yet here you are, a spice fanatic.” Mitsuki smiled.

Boruto grinned in response.

“Damn right I am. And you’ll be trying it out with me.”

Mitsuki’s already pale face paled even more.

“Wait, what.”


	3. Chapter 3

Boruto was tired.

That wasn’t anything unusual, between the training and societal pressures, the exhaustion he felt had already become commonplace in his day to day life. Especially as he was close to becoming an adult.

But this time he wasn’t tired from that. No, he was tired because he didn’t sleep, which wasn’t unusual given what kind of lifestyle he had chosen to take, but this time he had skipped on his sleep to fly with Mitsuki. While he didn’t regret it, he couldn’t fathom how Mitsuki didn’t look the slightest bit tired, because there was no way Mitsuki got more sleep than him.

Did Mitsuki sleep at all? Did he actually lie to Boruto and Sarada years ago about being a manmade person and instead was actually an alien that never got tired? That would explain why his looks seemed to be out of this world- No. He was not going to describe his best friend using bad pick up lines. He was not going there.

Shit, he was so tired.

Last night ended up being a magical night that Boruto found himself wishing it would never end, but as all good things did it did eventually have to, and so it did. But the experience was unforgettable despite it being moderately mundane in the grand scheme of things, especially compared to all the crazy stunts and missions they had taken and undergone over the past years. It was the kind of feeling that neither felt too exhilarating nor too domestic, but a pleasant one nonetheless.

As the sun began to rise, something Boruto hadn’t even been aware of until Mitsuki had pointed it out, they found a high ledge to rest and watch the sun continue to rise, brightening the sky.

Boruto had laid his head on Mitsuki’s shoulder, and Mitsuki had let him. He was surprised to find they had flown for so long just for the sake of flying, and at that moment he didn’t feel tired and his wings ached in a way that felt  _ so good _ . Like a good stretch after waking up, or the steady strong pressure of water on his back during a warm shower.

The night was over, but how they greeted the day wasn’t any less amazing.

Then, of course, they made their way back to Boruto’s house, and before Boruto realized it, his wings were aching uncomfortably. It wasn’t so bad in the morning, but as the day went on the ache made sure its presence was made known to him, growing annoyingly stronger as time went on.

They spent the day together, ran into Sarada, Cho-cho, and Sumire, and overall had a relaxing and fun time, but there was a limit for everything and his limit was now. The exhaustion really hitting him, but it wasn’t yet time for bed.

Boruto could barely keep his eyes open.

“Miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitsukiiiiiiiiiiiiii.” moaned Boruto, learning into his golden eyed friend. “Your place is closer, right? Mind if I just crash for the night?”

Mitsuki glanced down at Boruto. At that Boruto attempted his best puppy-dog face to get Mitsuki to say yes, but he knew they both already knew that even without that they both already knew what the answer was. It had always been like that.

“Sure.” replied Mitsuki, and Boruto gave him a grin.

Over the course of their friendship they had spent nights at each others houses, simply to hang out or just crashing because they were just so tired. It was just normal, and even at times convenient, like then. That and Mitsuki put up with a lot of Boruto’s willfulness that even Shikadai wouldn’t. Seriously, meeting Mitsuki that day years ago was a blessing in disguise, even if he was slightly weirded out at first.

“My mouth still feels numb.” said Mitsuki when they got to his apartment. “I wonder if it’s actually possible to have permanently lost some taste buds.”

Mitsuki touched his lips. A soft looking pair of pale pink lips, Boruto’s eyes followed his fingers gingerly touch before realizing what he was doing, then abruptly turned away, face warming again. It seemed to do that a lot nowadays.

“Oh don’t exaggerate- there’s no way! Spicy burgers are a blessing! By the way, is Mikazuki here?” asked Boruto.

Mitsuki hummed as he glanced around his apartment. As he did so, Boruto took the time to look around the mostly empty apartment with scattered abandoned cat toys and few framed photographs. He felt a strange sense of relief when he saw that a picture of him was still on Mitsuki’s bed, but also felt a sense of agitation. He remembered seeing it for the first time, feeling conflicted about the whole Mitsuki having one random framed picture of just him, but he got used to it because Mitsuki was, well, Mitsuki.

“Doesn’t look like it.” Mitsuki finally answered. “Maybe next time.”

“Oh well.” said Boruto. “I’m tired anyway. I feel like if I don’t make it past the doorway I’m going to fall asleep here.”

“...I wouldn’t advise that.” said Mitsuki worriedly.

“No shit.” said Boruto.

For what it was worth, at least the room was clean. As they got ready for bed, tucking themselves in for the night, Boruto noted Mitsuki’s clothes, remembering how, when Boruto and Sarada found out Mitsuki just slept in his clothes, forced him to get pajamas, or at least something resembling sleepwear. The room was already so empty, save for the photographs, but knowing that one little fact it really gave the feeling that the apartment was just a place Mitsuki returned to at night to sleep and nothing more. Gradually, thanks to Boruto and Sarada’s efforts and Mikazuki, it seemed like the apartment felt a little homier.

Mitsuki still seemed pretty detached, but it was a work in progress.

“Is everything alright, Boruto?” Mitsuki’s soft voice broke the silence, and only then did Boruto realize that he was shuffling around, trying to figure out the best way to arrange himself that was most comfortable for his still sore wings, which was proving to be more difficult than he thought. Especially in the small shared space of the bed.

Boruto felt his face warm, hoping the darkness was enough to hide his embarrassed face. At this point, with how catlike Mizuki was, he wouldn’t be surprised if those golden eyes had night vision on the same level as the small mammals. But if Mizuki noticed anything, he didn’t say.

“Just, ah, my wings. You know?” Boruto laughed, turning on his side to face Mitsuki. He stretched out his wings behind him for show, only to immediately wince at the movement. He silently cursed his own negligence, now embarrassing himself in front of Mitsuki of all people.

It wasn’t as if that was a rare occurrence, making a fool of himself in some sort of shape or form in front of the white haired boy, but it wasn’t like it was on  _ purpose _ . There were times he wanted to look cool or reassuring too, but apparently the universe or what other higher power decided that wasn’t allowed.

“Oh.” Mitsuki said, in a tone that made Boruto slightly curious. But before he could ask, he suddenly found himself flushed against the other boys body, his face all but buried in that pale and unblemished neck.

It happened so unexpectedly that Boruto didn’t have the time to make a squawk of protest, and before he could get a word in, Mitsuki’s arms went around him, his hands finding their way to knead at his wings. Boruto winced again at first, the sudden movement and sudden touching not pleasant for his wings, and he wanted to back out of the embrace, but just as quickly Mitsuki’s hands moved like magic and Boruto found himself letting out a small groan.

His body began to relax like putty as the soreness went from uncomfortable to soothing, almost missing when he realized Mitsuki was saying something again.

“Is this better?” Mitsuki asked. At that, Boruto’s thoughts caught up with reality and nearly pulled back on reflex. He would have, if his body hadn’t already started its transformation into jelly.

Boruto stayed silent, taking a quick moment to weigh his options on how he should respond. On one hand, this was too intimate between two friends. Sure, they were best friends, but after Boruto had grown up even his own  _ parents  _ hardly touched his wings, just like how they slowly stopped hugging him so much and giving him goodnight kisses on the forehead and tickling him into surrender. 

The only other person to touch his wings outside of his family was Sakura, who would do so as a doctor, but even she was so close that she was practically family. And, he was usually pretty healthy, so it never passed the few mandatory taps during routine checkups.

But this, this was something he hadn’t felt ever since he was just a toddler, first learning to fly and tumbling all over the place, crying at night from the pain of growing and the results of his misadventures and his parents would massage his wings soothingly. 

It went without saying that such intimate touches would be reserved for a future lover. It was just one of those unspoken rules that everyone seemed to silently acknowledge, showing with their actions and nothing more. To him, it was something that just went without saying, but Mitsuki didn’t know that, did he? He’s been learning a lot ever since they first met and Mitsuki moving into the village, but Boruto couldn’t be sure if Mitsuki knew about this. If he didn’t, then now would be the most important and perfect time to tell him, because even though they were best friends, touches like that were just too intimate for just friends (though he was aware of some friendships being comfortable like that, they were rare to see).

But… a part of him didn’t want to tell Mitsuki. He felt comfortable, and not just because of the tender care Mitsuki gave his wings. He didn’t want to separate, but how would he explain that? ‘Oh sorry Mitsuki, but touching someone’s wings is only reserved for their significant other and close family, but also don’t stop.’ Wouldn’t that just basically be a confession? It wasn’t like he liked Mitsuki in that way.

Right?

At that, Boruto’s thoughts crashed, suddenly unsure.

He didn’t have a crush on Mitsuki, they were both boys at that! But his own answer sounded too uneasy, even to himself. He never gave it much thought, to romance that was. It was always about missions, about building and mending friendships, to work towards the ideal justice, to train- romance was just something he acknowledged existed on the sidelines but never really cared all too much for. 

He just assumed that one day he’d just marry some girl, petite, dark haired, quiet, well mannered, and transparent to at least balance him out, but somewhere along the lines he subconsciously found his preferences changing. Petite went to lean, and ink black hair faded to something lighter. Quiet became patience, well mannered became curiosity, and transparency became enigmatic. 

His tastes described a certain someone a little too well. He wasn’t sure how to take that, except to not at all. At that, he decided he should tell Mitsuki, because he didn’t have those kinds of  _ feelings _ towards his best friend because of so many reasons. Mitsuki had to be told about these social faux pas so he wouldn’t make a fool of himself in the future and as his  _ best friend _ it was his job to be there for him, no matter how much he  _ appreciated _ the massage Mitsuki was giving him, and  _ no _ he wasn’t  _ disappointed  _ about that for any other reason.

But then a small chill came over him, because Mitsuki left the sliding door open just enough so Mikazuki could come whenever. Because Mitsuki had pulled Boruto up against him the covers that had covered him fell off his upper body, and then were further pushed away when they entangled their awkward teenage limbs. It was to be expected that a breeze would ghost over their skin, and when it did Boruto shivered on reflex, his warm skin especially more sensitive in that moment, and of course Mitsuki would be able to feel that because he could feel every little movement Mitsuki made. From each breath that moved his chest and each heartbeat that thumped, he was more than acutely aware of it.

And then, Mitsuki moved one of his own wings to cover the both of them, like a makeshift blanket, except a whole hell of a lot softer, even softer than his mom’s and sister’s, and Boruto felt himself engulfed in an all encompassing warmth that wasn’t just because of that one action. 

Boruto moved, just ever so slightly so he could look at Mitsuki’s face again, or at least the vague dark outlines that he could somewhat make out. At that moment, the moon reappeared from behind passing clouds, so the room was filled with slightly more light, hardly much but just enough that Boruto could see Mitsuki’s expression a little more clearer, and found that yes, their faces were a lot closer now. 

Though the light from the moon wasn’t as strong to where they were, it was still just enough to place the smallest glow on the ends and outlines of Mitsuki’s hair and skin, which Boruto could see with so much more clarity now that they were leaps closer. Last night, he likened him to an angel; this time he compared him to a white lotus.

“Boruto?” Mitsuki’s breath ghosted over his own lips, breaking Boruto from his own reverence. It was then he realized that Mitsuki had been saying something, or rather asking something, but he hadn’t managed to catch it.

“Huh?” Boruto eloquently said.

“Are you cold? Is this okay?” Mitsuki asked, and Boruto had to restrain himself from shivering again, and this time it wasn’t from the breeze.

“Hm? Oh, no yeah this is fine. Perfect really.” Boruto hurriedly said, then mentally kicked himself. Perfect, really? Did he  _ want _ to dig his own grave?

“Oh good.” Mitsuki said, and Boruto could feel Mitsuki relax, as if relieved for some sort of reason, but what could he possibly be relieved over?

Silence fell over them once more, Mitsuki’s hands slowly making their way to every nook and cranny of his wings, smoothing out small kinks but gentle when doing so. Idly, Boruto wondered if at some point Mitsuki would stretch out his arms like he did in battle just to reach all of his wings. Then he realized that he missed the most opportune chance to tell Mitsuki to let him go.

Except, did he really miss it? When Mitsuki’s wing covered the both of them, all thoughts of telling him just flew out the window. Being covered by someone’s wings was another thing he didn’t have the privilege of having anymore now that he was older. His dad was clearly out of the question, and his mom didn’t even do that for Himawari anymore either. Even he himself didn’t do that for Himawari now, but it was an oh so comforting feeling he didn’t realize he had missed as much as he did in that moment.

The logical, reasonable part of himself told him that he should end this now. He had to tell Mitsuki, but his muddled, mushy mind didn’t want to. At this point, he wasn’t sure how to anymore.

So instead, he stopped thinking. What was done was done and he might as well enjoy the moment for as long as it lasted, and let himself relax further. With his sore wings no longer as achingly sore as before, with the soothing touches and warmth, Boruto felt his eyes closed and his breathing slowly become even. And like that, before he knew it, he was out like a light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m a fool. Not only did I completely forget about this fic, but I also had to spend 20 minutes looking for this draft because I’m a fool who doesn’t name any of their docs. Seriously, I had to go through my old school account and my new account, going through every doc because I don’t name them or have any sense to organize.   
> That being said, I finally found it!! And now here I am, at 4AM, eating chicken tenders that are probably not safe to eat anymore, typin up this chapter, and probably not going to sleep anytime soon because while I was looking for this chapter I found my old WIPS that I haven’t even begun posting yet (like a hanahaki au, valkyrie au, etc,,,) which I,,,,, really want to finish too eiujfngvdef.  
> Anyway, sorry for the overdue update! Honestly, if you couldn’t tell by now this fic is just really a super self indulgent fic. I haven’t watched the recent episodes (and by that I mean I’m 15 episodes behind oops- ill binge after I finish reading MDZS and 2HA) so I don’t really know how much character relationships in the show have changed, if at all, but yeah.   
> I reread the last two chapters as a refresher to remind myself of where I wanted to take this story, and after lookin it over I'm going to do some edits. I'm not entirely sure of how ao3 works with updating, if it says it updated when all ill do is change a couple grammar things. I'm not gonna change much, just gonna go back to change some wording a little bit so it flows better, but that being said!! Thank you everyone for being so patient with me, leaving kudos and comments! It means a lot! <333


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sum news

In the past few years they had had plenty of sleepovers. However, when they had said sleepovers they tended to keep to their own sides of the shared bed, purely out of habit and just common decency. There was always a clear distance between the both of them, leaving a space that was not too uncomfortably close nor awkwardly far, and there was certainly no entanglement of loose limbs.

There was a first for everything, it seemed.

And he had never woken up with someone else’s wing in his mouth. 

It took a while longer than he’d like to admit to realize their positions upon waking up.

The sun had risen just enough that the apartment was full of light, as if proclaiming the brightness of the morning. Glancing at Mitsuki, though there was no ethereal like glow like how moonlight seemed to give him, something about him was enough to make him forget how to breath for a moment. When Boruto shifted, making sure Mitsuki’s wing was farther away from his mouth as it slowly crept back near his lips, Mitsuki groaned softly in response and tightened his hold on Boruto in unconscious protest, before ultimately relaxing again.

Boruto felt something warm fill his chest at that, and momentarily felt tempted to stay in their fixed positions, but he shook his head at the thought. They had to get up, because they had to meet up with their team, which of whom were probably waiting on them by this point if the sun’s position in the sky was any indicator.

No, his heart didn’t twinge painfully as he extracted himself from Mitsuki’s arms. And he most certainly did not shiver slightly as those pale fingers brushed against the small space on his back between his wings. Not at all.

Having come with nothing but the clothes on his back and the sparse change that was his money in his pocket, Boruto had opted to wear some of Mitsuki’s clothing last night to bed. It wasn’t a big deal, because they were relatively close in size, but because Mitsuki leaned more towards a more slender figure and Boruto towards a slightly more bulkier one, they were a bit more form fitting than what he was used to. As a result, the shirt he borrowed tended to rise up a bit with every little movement he made and the shorts got caught folded in awkward angles, forcing him to readjust every so often, so when he changed back into the clothes from the day before it was a bit of a relief to do so.

When he finished, making sure his clothes didn’t seem too wrinkly (not that it really mattered seeing as they were going to go train), he made his way back to the bed and gently shook Mitsuki’s shoulder to wake him up.

“Wake up, Mitsuki.” Boruto said, a little softer than he intended. He quickly cleared his throat before speaking again. “Come on, we have to meet up with Konohamaru-sensei and Sarada.”

A small groan- then, the smallest flutter of lashes. A flash of gold, and then they were hidden in a squint as Mitsuki woke and focused on the figure before him. Boruto realized a part of it was probably because the sun shining through the transparent sliding door behind him, which was probably not helping.

“Boruto?” Mitsuki blinked a few more times, adjusting to the light and focusing more on his figure, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

“Yeah, it’s me.” Boruto answered.

“What time is it?” Mitsuki asked, yawning. Boruto’s eyes stayed glued to him as he stretched. It wasn’t often he was up before Mitsuki, much less saw him in the groggy hours in the morning, so he committed the image to memory. A reminder of just how very human Mitsuki was despite his not so natural origins and snake like attributes.

“I don’t know, and at this point I’m not really sure I want to know.” Boruto said, taking up his signature jacket.

The material was soft against his skin, slightly big on him to accommodate his quickly growing body after he outgrew his old ones. It wasn’t worn out yet, like his old jacket that he adamantly refused to throw out when he was still just a fresh and new shinobi, still an unfamiliar weight, but as long as he didnt grow too much too quickly his jacket would once again have that familiar feel. Or so he at least hoped. He kind of missed his old jacket, but it was what it was and it wasn’t like he could just stop himself from growing- not that he wanted to.

Mitsuki hummed in reply, quickly getting ready himself. Under a flurry of folds, he was ready in no time at all, and so the two of them soon found themselves making their way to the training grounds with practiced familiarity.

The sight that met them, however, was not one they had been expecting.

“You look like a horde of tornadoes had a party on your head.” Boruto told Sarada as he was within earshot.

Normally, the expected response would be well within the range of an offended scoff or outright attack that would end in something too pitiful to be called a spar and instead a brutal one-sided beat down, but the day, as new as it was, continued to surprise him. Instead, her expression went from one of worries straight to one one step away from an all out bawl. Her eyes seemed to glisten with unshed tears of stress, threatening to spill over as her eyes squinted, her lips tightened into a fine line that was ready to tremble.

“I knew it! I knew it looked bad! Senseiii you lied to me!” Sarada turned on her heel and pointed to the worn out Jonin, calling him out for whatever misdeed she believed he was guilty of. The blue scarfed man could barely do much more than hold his hands in surrender as he received his scolding, shooting a betrayed look at Boruto.

“Now now Sarada, we both know that Boruto has no eyes for this kind of thing. Having a fashion sense is not something he has. After all, he has Lord Seventh as his father, and let’s not lie to ourselves, his outfits are atrocious.” Konohamaru attempted to placate her, but Boruto felt slightly indignant at his words, not liking the implication.

“What do you mean sensei?” Boruto retorted. “I’m not like my dad at all! I have a  _ great _ sense of fashion thank you very much. As if  _ I _ would  _ wear  _ that obnoxious shade of orange.”

Next to him, Boruto thought he heard a small snort, but when he looked to his side Mitsuki simply has on his ever present respectful smile, looking at him in a tilted, unspoken inquiry. Choosing to ignore the nagging feeling gut and what seemed to be an almost mirthful look in Mitsuki’s eyes, Boruto redirected his attention to the frightful girl of the group.

“What are you so hung up about anyway? We all have bad hair days sometimes.” Boruto continued. 

However, it seemed like that whatever Boruto had said seemed to be the wrong thing to say, and immediately he found himself facing the expression of a kunoichi who was both equal parts pissed and distraught. Her glasses shined ominously under the sunlight and her expression darkened as she made her way to him.

“Oh? It sounds like you don’t want to live a long life. Let me help you with that.” said Sarada, clenching and unclenching her fist.

‘ _ Wasn’t she just- why is she so mad? _ ’ Boruto’s thoughts flashed as he backed away.

Luckily for Boruto, Mitsuki stepped in before Sarada could make good with her promise. Inwardly Boruto sighed in relief, silently thanking whatever higher power there was that Mitsuki was brought into existence, had taken a strange interest in the blond, and had soon enough integrated himself as Boruto’s best friend. 

Though the both of them had a healthy fear of Sarada’s quick temper and harsh critic ways, Boruto often bristled Sarada into fiery bout. Luckily for him, Mitsuki would then quickly try to diffuse the situation with a deceivingly gentle discerning eye, debating on what to so then try to act on that. Though it wasn’t always successful, thanks to his still awkward social skills and handle on relationships, it proved far more advantageous than Boruto’s blunt straightforwardness.

With that, Mitsuki managed to diffuse the situation somewhat by at least derailing Sarada from immediately making arrangements that would end with Boruto’s beat up face kissing the ground. With an inquisitive tone that was soft, but barely so, he returned the conversation back to the whole situation with her hair, which brought her back closer to tears again like before, no longer as strongly taken over by a moment of anger or frustration. But what was more curious was the fact that now that her violent urge passed she was tip toeing the line of shame and embarrassment.

But as she told her story of misadventure, the pieces came falling right into place, filling the gaps of their assumptions easily.

As it turned out, the day before her date was late. It turned out he had to pick up his little sister from daycare, and then take her to their grandparents house as their father had to work late that day, and their mother was away at some 3 day religious seminar thing. By the time he had been able to meet up with Sarada, they were late for their movie date. So instead they went walking through the village, just talking and window shopping, occasionally grabbing a small snack from random stalls that caught their eyes. At least, they were until they passed a household supply store and Sarada remembered she had to buy some sort of new kitchen tool as her mom had accidentally destroyed the previous one.

So into the store they went, making the most of their date, and it was going smoothly. In fact, it was going better than she had hoped and she was comfortable enough to be at ease in his presence and make jokes, to which they stumbled upon hair curlers. Soft pinks and purples in plastic packing had the two of them wondering with poorly hidden amusement how anyone could use these, especially to bed. Then, out of growing curiosity, the two two of them decided to add the curlers to their basket.

Having grown out her hair just a tad longer than she had when they were in their childhood, Sarada’s hair was the longer of the two of them and decided to take the curlers with her to test them out. As her hair had always been straight, depressingly and limply so, she was driven even further into her curiosity to see what she’d look like with hair that curled. With that thought in mind she carefully applied the curlers to one side to do a side by side compare and contrast for when she took them out. Then, she went to bed.

At least it was only half her head of hair that suffered.

Unfortunately, it was half her head of hair that suffered.

Boruto looked at her with disbelief. Sarada was one of the smartest kunoichi of their generation, but this was on another level.

“So your genius solution was just to cut it off?” Boruto asked.

“It wouldn’t come out and actually kept getting worse no matter what I did, okay?” Sarada replied frustrated, calming down from her earlier hysteria.

Boruto sighed. For what it was worth, he was slightly impressed she would have the guts to go out without anything to cover the shotty cut job of her hair. 

“Do you plan on keeping that look?” Mitsuki asked, with more innocence than a 16 year old should have had. Sarada shot him a dirty look, but it was weak and she soon looked downcast.

“Hell no, but I don’t know what to do. Am I supposed to wear a hat? It’s the middle of summer!” Sarada lamented.

“Why don’t you just get a haircut?” Boruto suggested.

“Are you stupid? I spent too long trying to grow out my hair- do you know how hard it is?” Sarada looked appalled.

“Half of it is already gone, so I mean you might as well.” Boruto shot back. At that, Sarada wilted a bit.

Mitsuki looked contemplative, but considering he never cared much for outer appearances it was apparent enough that he couldn’t offer any suggestions. Konohamaru-sensei on the other hand, after hearing student out, seemed to think of something.

“Why not just shave half your head?” Konohamaru suggested. Boruto felt a realization washed over him at those words.

“Yeah! Like Karin!” Boruto added on. “She looks cool!”

Sarada seemed to consider that option for all of .2 seconds before a grimace took over her face.

“As silly as it sounds, I don’t… I don’t want to look cool. I mean, I do, but I want to look, I don’t know, cute?” Sarada fidgeted. “And I thought curls would look nice?”

Boruto felt his tongue feel too heavy to speak in response to her sudden honesty. It wasn’t often she confided with them that wasn’t something mission related, but he didn’t know how to comfort his childhood friend.

“Why don’t you go see Cho-Cho? I’m sure she can help you fix this problem.” Mitsuki said.

“But-”

“But what? Isn’t she your best friend?” Konohamaru asked. Sarada opened her mouth to say something in response, but faltered and sighed, nodding.

“Yeah, you’re right.” she said.

“But before that, now that you’re all here I have some news for all of you.” Konohamaru stated.

“News…?” Boruto echoed.

“Yes. I’ve recently been assigned a mission, and while I can’t disclose any details, I’ll be away for several months-”

“Months!?” Boruto and Sarada exclaimed together. Next to them, Mitsuki didn’t say anything, but his eyes widened in surprise.

“Yes, months. As your Jonin instructor, that brought attention to you three.” he continued, leveling a look at the three of them. “At this point in time, you three are all very adept and capable Chunin who no longer need me as much as before, and within the next couple of months it was expected that you three will no longer need anymore guided team training, and thus relinquish me from my position. That being said, I won’t be here to watch over you, and you shouldn’t neglect your training in the meanwhile, so this leaves you two options.”

“And what are they, Konohamaru-Sensei?” Sarada asked.

“Either we find you a new Jonin instructor to take over while I’m gone, or you can try and prove your capability in three days.”

“Three days?” Sarada asked. “Why?”

“That’s when I leave, so should you fail I can still have some say in what happens next and give you three some advice. I’d do it now, but as my mission is very important I have to go and prepare for it and I won’t have any time to dedicate to you three.” Konohamaru answered her.

“Three days…” Mitsuki repeated.

“Of course we’ll take on the challenge in three days!” Boruto proclaimed. “I know we can do it!”

“It’s not just you.” Konohamaru interrupted him. “But Sarada and Mitsuki too. One of the challenges is working together as a team, but you’ll also have to deal with working with other ninja, and then be separated into other teams. Knowing how to adapt quickly is also something that’ll be taken into consideration, which is why I thought more training was needed. All of you have what it takes to be flexible and think under pressure, but at the same time your personalities can clash with others. Can you say you worked perfectly with every shinobi you’ve met for the first time?”

Boruto was ready with a retort on his tongue before hesitating. Memories sprung up in his mind, and he knew he couldn’t say that. Even with his own teammates, though it happened years ago, he had tricked them and hadn’t been so honest like when they first took the Chunin exams. When he had to take that mission with Shinki and Kankuro with Shukaku, the mission was put into jeopardy because of their conflicting beliefs and actions.

But that had been years ago.

Still, many of the things he believed in back then still held true, though he had grown a bit and believed he would be able to discern things better than before. But, taking all of that into consideration, was he, were  _ they  _ really ready?

Boruto hesitated.

“No.” Mitsuki said, and Boruto felt his heart drop. “We still have a lot of learning left to do, but I believe we can take on the challenge.”

“Oh?” Konohamaru said, and Boruto looked at Mitsuki. Words failed him as his pale friend continued.

“We’ve grown up a lot, and so I can say with full certainty that I believe in Boruto and Sarada, as well as myself, to be able to take on and overcome this challenge. We might still make mistakes,” Mitsuki said, “but there is never a time as knowing everything there is to know, because for as long as we live, we are always learning. We’ve been through a lot, and we know the importance of banding together when we need to. An enemy or a disaster won’t wait for us to make peace or plans, and we know this very well, and that’s why we’re all here today. We don’t give up, and we’re not going to start now.”

Boruto stared at his teammate, something indescribable welling up inside him at those words. He was right. His words left no more room for doubts. Boruto had hesitated because of his past regrets, but Mitsuki believed in him despite all that, and he would know better than anyone, wouldn’t he?

“I agree.” Sarada said. “We can take this challenge on. We’ve worked hard up to this point. It’d be a waste and a shame otherwise.”

“Of course! It goes without saying but together there’s nothing we can’t do! We may have made mistakes in the past, but we’ve learned from them and have grown stronger where it counts. We won’t let you down!” Boruto tacked on with a grin.

Konohamaru blinked at them in surprise before settling into a warm smile, shaking his head.

“You guys… Who taught you to be so… Ha! Very well, then I have high hopes for you three.”

Konohamaru didn’t stay around for much longer, the importance of his mission only stressed by the urgency. Boruto was curious, but he now he had something else to concentrate on so he didn’t dwell on the trail of thought. 

Whatever it was, their sensei could handle it. He had faith in that if nothing else.

“Well I’m going to see Cho-Cho.” Sarada declared after Konohamaru left.

“Right now?!” Boruto exclaimed. “No one else is here so nobody’s going to care if your hair is a mess while training.”

“It’s three days, Boruto.” Sarada leveled a look at him. “Not a whole lot can be accomplished in three days with only training. It can actually make it worse if you overdo it. Which, knowing you, is highly likely.”

Her tone was dry, her eyes narrowed knowingly. Boruto sputtered at her lack of faith.

“We can get a lot done in three days! We should train.” Boruto insisted.

“I know, and I’m not saying we shouldn’t train at all. I’m just saying we shouldn’t try to push ourselves to the limit in such a short timespan. I’ll join you guys later, but for now I’m going to go see Cho-Cho. Don’t be idiots, both of you. Mitsuki, don’t enable him.” Sarada faced Mitsuki pointedly.

The hairs on her head bounced with her movements, unkempt, uneven, choppy, and sticking out. It should have been a funny sight but Boruto couldn’t help but gawk at her words. By the time he managed to recompose himself a bit Sarada had already left, his retort left sitting on his tongue.

“Hey Mitsuki,” Boruto started, “You don’t really think I’m an idiot, do you?”

Mitsuki only closed his eyes and smiled.

“Mitsuki!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🥺🥺🥺 sorry this chapter is so late! it’s been sitting in my drive for so long mostly done and i forgot about it 🥺🥺🥺 anyway i hope yall like it- guess we addin sum plot now oop


End file.
